Poker is a card game played by a group of people sitting around a table and betting on the outcome of each hand. The highest ranked hand wins the “pot,” which is all the chips bet during that particular betting round. The game has many variants, with some games involving only a single player and others using the entire table. Regardless of the type of game, it is usually played with poker chips, with each chip representing a certain amount of money (for example, a white chip is worth one minimum ante or bet; a red chip is worth five whites).
Depending on the rules of the variant being played, players may be required to place an initial amount into the pot before cards are dealt. This is known as a forced bet and comes in the form of an ante, blind, or bring-in bet. The dealer then shuffles the cards and deals them to each player, beginning with the player to his or her left. Cards can be dealt face-up or face-down, again depending on the variant being played. Between dealing intervals, players place their bets into the pot and develop their hands.
During the betting intervals, players can raise their bets by increasing the number of chips they are investing in the pot. They can also fold, in which case they drop out of the pot entirely and cannot return until the next betting interval. If any player remains in the pot after the final betting round, a showdown is held where all remaining hands are revealed.